“Airbnb is about creating unique, memorable experiences, and we’re seeing a huge increase in demand in the Philippines and across Asia,” says co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Nathan Blecharczyk. “Manila is a growing travel destination, and people from the Philippines are traveling abroad at increasing rates, so we believe it will be a crucial market for us as we continue to grow.”

A few statistics on Airbnb’s growth in the Philippines:

• Guests have come from 67 different countries around the world to travel in the Philippines on Airbnb.
• The number of guest nights booked on Airbnb in the Philippines has increased 345% in 2012 alone.
• The number of Airbnb guest nights booked by people from the Philippines traveling elsewhere has increased 263% in 2012, with the most popular destinations being Hong Kong, New York, Paris, Singapore, Manila, Rome, Seoul, Barcelona, Florence, and London.
• Airbnb has over 975 listings in the Philippines, including 530 in Manila.
• To support the rapid growth in the Philippines, Airbnb has tabbed Ole Ruch as manager of the Southeast Asia region. The team focused on the Philippines will work to better support hosts and guests in the market, assisting in managing listings, bookings, and educating users about the Airbnb process.

Airbnb is currently the world market leader in unique, short-term accommodations. In June the company celebrated 10 million nights booked, and on any given night, over 50,000 guests are staying at Airbnb accommodations around the world.


JJ Chai is the Director of Operations for Airbnb Southeast Asia. He oversees operations and business development in Southeast Asia for Airbnb. He uses his experience in technology, business consulting and understanding of the region to help grow the Airbnb user community across Asia.

Prior to joining Airbnb, JJ was a Junior Partner at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. In his five years there, he advised leading technology and telecoms companies across Southeast Asia. He had also spent time early in his career as a software developer and program manager at a tech startup. He holds an MBA from INSEAD, and graduated with a Computer Engineering degree from the National University of Singapore.

JJ traded in the corporate world for the startup life at Airbnb not only because he now gets to wear jeans to work, but also because he believes that Airbnb can help make rich travel experiences accessible to Asians. A frequent traveller himself, JJ has been to over 30 countries, and looks forward to adding several more pins to that map with Airbnb.

About Airbnb:
Founded in August of 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world – online or from a mobile phone. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 30,000 cities and 192 countries. And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.